Apartment rentals in Oslo

How much does an apartment cost in Oslo? Lets say with two bedrooms.
Is Oslo an expensive country? Could you compare it to other European cities?

Thanx

I think expensive is an understatement It's very expensive! For a 2-bedroom somewhere reasonably central you will pay about 10 000 norwegian kroner on the cheap side. If you are renting for the short term at least double that. It's more the other costs that help make it one of the top ten most expensive cities in the world. For example a normal guys hair cut is about 500 kr. At least 3x that for a girl. Let me know if you need help locating a place or area to live if you do decide to head this way! It's certainly not all bad; I think it's one of the best cities in the world to live in to be honest!!

Sam, this is very disappointing?
How high are the salaries? For example what would I earn if I worked at a cafe and what if I worked as a nurse in a hospital?

Thanx

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

Yes, the salaries are high, but that of course also depends on the job. You're not likely to make super money working in a restaurant, but that being said, a lot of Swedes move here just to work in restaurants and bars because the salaries are so much higher than back in Sweden. Working in a hospital would probably pay more, but you'd probably need some kind of internationally recognized accreditation. And it won't help if you don't speak Norwegian in an industry like that. You can get away with that a bit easier in bars, but in most jobs speaking Norwegian is pretty much a must. When I first moved here, I was actually quite stunned how many companies wouldn't even begin to consider you if you didn't speak a little Norwegian. Very strange for such a small country with so many international businesses.

Have you checked out jobs in the Eures database yet? Finn is the biggest Norwegian site for jobs but most of these will be in Norwegian.

Thanx Sam, useful information. I don't speak Norwegian though which confines my search online.

Can you talk to me about the people? They are friendly I've heard. Anything elsel?

What about education. Is it free?

The people are very friendly. In general I'd say most are timid at first, so it can be hard to get to know Norwegians early on, although that's a pretty gross generalization.

Education standards are good. I am not sure what the deal is for foreigners, but Norwegians get a grant if they finish their studies within x amount of years. Most also take a pretty big loan (30-50 000 EUR) to cover costs while they are studying. The rules for this would almost certainly be very very different for foreigners, since the loan is paid back on a quarterly basis, usually over a 25 period, which I'd say is something not very relevant to foreigners.

Why do you really want to come here? Is there any reason? If it's to further a career or something like that, I'd choose the UK over Norway, simply because language is going to be less of an issue. It's also a more capitalistic country, so better suited to this. Norway is very socialistic (in a good way mostly)

My husband and I have been thinking about moving. It doesn't mean we've fixed a date or sth... just a thought. So I decided to make a research on some european cities. I have given Norway a thought because I always hear there are many things for kids to do and it's a safe place. I have 2 kids in primary school.
Moreover, I read that it's not polluted, there are many things to do, people use bikes which I love, (I'm so sick of Thessaloniki's traffic), the state cares about the people and the most important the unemployment rates are low and the people friendly.

The cold is a problem -brrr- and the language. Then, you mentioned that it is expensive too, Oslo that is, so I don't know.

It's very difficult to move from your country because of the family and friends you leave behind.

I feel I need the change though -unless something changes in Greece - and I am willing to give it a try but I before I do I must pay the Norwegian consulate a visit.